Plus: Idaho takes its case against life-saving abortion care to SCOTUS.
SHOP WITH THE ARMADILLO UPDATE: I designed some fun “Live, Laugh, L’abortions” merch and it’s now available in the shop!
Everything, including LLL’A designs, is 35% off until April 25, so get your orders in ASAP. I’ll match 10% of profits from all the LLL’A merch and donate the proceeds to the National Network of Abortion Funds in May.
Here’s another edition of Hard to Believe It’s Only Tuesday, a weekly roundup of the top headlines, tweets, toks, takes, and more in abortion news. You can always email me (andrea.grimes@gmail.com, or grimesandrea@proton.me for more sensitive inquiries) or DM me on instagram with action items, takes, and news clips. This post is probably too long for email, so click the headline above or head to the HTBIOT page to get the full read in your browser, because you don’t want to miss this week’s Goodnight and Good Dunk!
The big takeaway: On Wednesday, a second major abortion case goes to the Supreme Court for oral arguments. In Moyle vs. United States, Idaho argues that its abortion ban overrules the federal Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act, which requires hospitals to provide “stabilizing” care to people experiencing medical emergencies — in short, that hospitals and medical professionals in Idaho are not allowed to treat pregnant patients if treatment involves the termination of pregnancy, for life-saving or any other reason.
If you are thinking to yourself, “Well that sounds like some ghoulish fuckery,” you are absolutely right. It’s some ghoulish fuckery. The Fifth Circuit has already allowed Texas to deny people life-saving abortions; the horrific consequences are detailed in an AP investigation released this week:
At Sacred Heart Emergency Center in Houston, front desk staff refused to check in one woman after her husband asked for help delivering her baby that September. She miscarried in a restroom toilet in the emergency room lobby while her husband called 911 for help.
It’s important to remember that opposing EMTALA-sanctioned care for pregnant people is the standard, mainstream, Republican and anti-abortion position. These aren’t fringe beliefs or outliers with a few rogue ideas about emergency medical care. This is the way the GOP wants it to be for everyone, everywhere in the country.
The Top Headlines
- “Medical records for out-of-state abortions will now be protected by HIPAA” (The 19th) — I’ll be damned! The Biden Administration doing something meaningful and actionable to support abortion access.
- Key reads on EMTALA:
- “Texas, Idaho abortion bans test against federal emergency medicine rule” (Texas Tribune)
- “Idaho Goes to the Supreme Court to Argue that Pregnant People are Second-Class Citizens” (The Intercept)
- “Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom” (AP)
- “Fetal ‘Personhood’ Is at Stake at SCOTUS” (Rewire)
- “Democrats Say They Have a Winning Hand on Abortion but Outside Groups Won’t Let Them Play It” (NOTUS) — This whole deal is messy, and it sucks. Major national repro legal groups and repro health orgs (in this story, the ACLU, Center for Reproductive Rights, and Planned Parenthood) are lobbying Congressional Dems not to repeal the Comstock Act, out of fear that doing so would “draw attention” to the law. As if Justices Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito didn’t name-check it during the mife hearings last month. As if it’s not cited in Project 2025, the right-wing battle plan tailored for the next Trump Administration. As if every anti-abortion politician in the country is not clamoring to revive this thing. Anyway, apropos of nothing: there’s a reason my donations go to abortion funds and state and local grassroots repro justice groups instead of massive, well-funded lobby and legal orgs who are fundamentally conservative and risk-averse when it comes to protecting and improving abortion rights and access.
- “Women Talk Through Their Abortions on TikTok” (NYT)
- “Abortion ban hits another state with high Native population” (Source NM)
- “6 in 10 U.S. Catholics are in favor of abortion rights, Pew Research report finds” (AP) — More evidence that abortion is not actually a particularly divisive issue, and is becoming even less so over time.
- “California Man Gets 9 Years in Firebombing of Planned Parenthood Clinic” (NYT)
- 🇺🇸 What politicians and politicos on the national stage are doing and saying about abortion in advance of the ‘24 election:
- “‘Betrayed’: Mike Pence says he’s ‘deeply disappointed’ in Donald Trump over abortion stance” (USA Today) — Remember, the boys are not actually fighting. Pence is virtue signaling to the anti-abortion right to ensure that they understand Trump will ultimately do whatever he is told to do on abortion, while maintaining the charade of Trump’s “moderate” approach to abortion for mainstream voters.
- “Kristi Noem, Trump VP Frontrunner, Rejects Rape Exceptions for Abortion” (Jezebel)
- “Biden’s 50-year journey as a skeptic of Roe v. Wade to its ultimate protector” (NBC News) — I can’t tell if this headline intends for us to understand “ultimate” as meaning “the last” or “the most,” but either way, it’s wrong.
- “Biden to deliver abortion-focused speech in Florida” (Politico)
- “Trump vs. Biden: Here’s how both candidates are holding up on flubbing the facts on abortion” (Reckon)
- 👩🏽⚕️ What’s happening with clinical abortion care, providers, medication abortion, and such:
- “Fearing Legal Threats, Doctors are Performing C-Sections in Lieu of Abortions” (The Nation) — Important, horrifying reporting from Mary Tuma, here. Doctors are performing wholly unnecessary surgery in order to skirt abortion bans, putting their patients at unnecessary risk.
- “New rules for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act include divisive accommodations for abortion” (AP) — The rules aren’t actually “divisive,” they are simply disliked by anti-abortion Republicans.
- “Some pharmacists fear jail time over murky abortion laws” (NBC News)
- ⚖️ What’s going on with abortion bans, legal challenges, and bills at the state and local levels:
- 🟢 “Group launches effort to explore ballot initiative restoring abortion access in Idaho” (Idaho Capital Sun) — The ballot initiative would go up for a vote in 2026.
- 🟢 “Group kicks off signature gathering efforts for Montana abortion access ballot petition” (Daily Montanan)
- 🟢 “Abortion rights petition okayed by Nevada Supreme Court” (Nevada Current)
- 🟢 “Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes ban on gender-identity health care, abortion coercion and survey bills” (Kansas Reflector)
- 🟢 “Missouri initiative campaigns confident of achieving signature goals” (Missouri Independent)
- 🟢 “Abortion Ban Fails to Qualify for Ballot: “Colorado Is Not a Place Where You Can Mess With Our Reproductive Freedom” (Denver Westword)
- 🔴 “New bill furthers Ohio laws that ban abortion funding, could take local government funds” (Ohio Capital Journal)
- 🔴 “Arkansas lawmakers advance proposal to double state-funded pregnancy resource center grant” (Arkansas Advocate) and “Louisiana lawmakers plan to give anti-abortion nonprofit exclusive state contract worth millions” — The anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” industry is just that: an industry. But instead of providing a service (like literally any service whatsoever) for a fee, they rely on anti-abortion politicians to funnel taxpayer dollars to support religious-based misinformation and propaganda intended to coerce people out of accessing abortion care. There’s more on how the grift works in Ms. magazine this week.
- 🔴”Republican legislators hold hearing on abortion ballot initiative; vote won’t appear on petition” (Daily Montanan) — Speaking of wasting taxpayer dollars, Montana anti-abortion Republicans held a pointless hearing on a thing that has no effect whatsoever on the state’s abortion rights ballot initiative.
- 🔴 “Once again, Arizona Republicans block efforts to repeal the 1864 abortion ban” (Arizona Mirror) — It’s almost like they want, like really want, a 19th century abortion ban! It’s almost like they’re perfectly fine with it? It’s almost like they consider it good and desirable???
- 🔴 “Arizona GOP strategy document implores party to show ‘Republicans have a plan’ on abortion” (NBC News) and “Leaked documents detail House GOP strategy to send competing abortion measures to the 2024 ballot” (Arizona Mirror) — Frankly it’s bizarre to see Arizona’s statehouse Republicans behaving so incredibly dipshittily; typically this is the kind of thing I attribute to our particular brand of Texas Republican fuckery. Perhaps the fuckery is catching!
The Takes
- Organizer and author Kelly Hayes ran an excerpt from Angela Hume’s Deep Care: The Radical Activists Who Provided Abortions, Defied the Law, and Fought to Keep Clinics Open in her newsletter this week. Folks interested in the history of self-managed abortion will be especially interested, as it covers the development of the Del-Em device and menstrual extraction pre-Roe.
- Physician Caitlin Gustafson is in TIME writing about her experience providing emergency pregnancy care in Idaho: “If the Court holds that federal law no longer protects pregnant people during emergencies, it will give anti-abortion politicians across the country the green light to deny essential abortion care, push providers to leave states where the choices made with their patients can be second-guessed by prosecutors, and continue this cycle of inhumanity for patients.”
- Heck of a column from Jamelle Bouie in the NYT: “The states’ rights case for determining abortion access — let the people decide — falters on the fact that in many states, the people cannot shape their legislature to their liking. Packed and split into districts designed to preserve Republican control, voters cannot actually dislodge anti-abortion Republican lawmakers. A pro-choice majority may exist, but only as a shadow: present but without substance in government.”
The Tweets/Toks/Skeets/Grams
- Republicans love abortion bans! They’re all about them! All kinds of them! Whatever they can get! Banning abortion is their favorite thing! They are not becoming “more moderate” or looking for “compromises” outside of saying whatever it takes to hoodwink voters!
- I am all in on this Abortion Access Front gag featuring bizarro-drag Anthony Comstock:
The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?
- 👕 SWAG OF THE WEEK! 👕
- A portion of sales from my “Live, Laugh, L’abortions” designs will go to the National Network of Abortion Funds! Get your wine mom on!
- 🗣️ Anywhere: Women on Web is looking for Polish speakers to join their help desk.
- 🏛️ Washington, D.C.: Rally at the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, April 24 during oral arguments in the EMTALA case.
- 💸 EVERY-THE-FUCK-WHERE: It’s abortion fund-a-thon season, an annual bevy of bowl-a-thons, bake-a-thons, craft-a-thons, and basically every other kind of a-thon you can think of to celebrate and fund members of the National Network of Abortion Funds. Find your local event here!
- 🌸 Baltimore: The Baltimore Abortion Fund’s Blossom Bash is Thursday, May 2.
- 👶🏽 North Texas: The Texas Equal Access Fund‘s infant care resource drive is back, this time on Saturday, May 4th, at Rubber Gloves in Denton.
- 🥂 Dallas: The Texas Equal Access Fund‘s First Bloom event is set for Thursday, May 16th.
- 🫱🏿🫲🏾 Dallas: The Afiya Center is hosting the Texas Black Womxn Reproductive Justice Summit in Dallas from May 23-26.
- 🪩 Brownsville, TX: The Frontera Fund‘s Drag-A-Thon is Saturday, May 25.
- 🦺 St. Louis area: Illinois’ Hope Clinic is looking for clinic escorts. Here’s how to learn more.
- 🐝 Anywhere: The “Pollination Station,” Apiary Practical Support‘s volunteer training series, is now taking applications.
- 🚗 Kentucky: The Kentucky Health Justice Network is looking for volunteer drivers and case managers. Here’s where to sign up.
- 📱 North Texas: The Texas Equal Access Fund is looking for bilingual Spanish-speaking volunteers for their text line. Here’s where to sign up.
- 🤠 Texas: Local teen-friendly businesses in in Bryan, College Station, Lubbock, or San Angelo can become pickup spots for repro kits assembled by Jane’s Due Process. Here’s the application form.
- ⛰️ Southwestern Virginia and Appalachia: The New River Abortion Access Fund is looking for volunteers.
- 🗳️ Anywhere, U.S.: Hey Jane x Vote America helps prep voters to support pro-abortion policies and candidates
- 💸 From your wallet:
- Donate to keep the West Alabama Women’s Center’s doors open so they can provide gender-affirming care, repro care, pre- and post-natal care, miscarriage management, and much more.
- Buy a wishlist item for the Yellowhammer Fund‘s Repro Raven bus.
- The IPPF and the Palestinian Family Planning Association are attempting to provide care for tens of thousands of pregnant people in Gaza; learn more here and donate/spread the word.
- Donate to rebuild Affirmative Care Solutions, the Illinois clinic attacked by an anti-abortion extremist who drove his car through the front of the building.
- Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for “Ashley,” the 13-year-old mother who was denied abortion care in Mississippi and profiled in TIME magazine.
- Donate to support the Austin Women’s Health Center and their essential repro health services, including miscarriage management and abortion referrals.
- Donate $$ and pads to Just the Pill’s mobile clinic.
- Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for the family of Samara, a 17-year-old in San Antonio and Buckle Bunnies Fund patient who died from repro health complications.
- The Valley Abortion Group is a new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe.
- Donate to the Online Abortion Resource Squad, which supports the R/Abortion subreddit 24/7/365.
- Donate to Elevated Access, which transports folks for abortion and gender-affirming care.
- Donate to ensure Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix can keep providing essential abortion care to folks in the Southwest.
- Find your local abortion fund and donate.
- Buy something off the wishlist of an independent clinic, abortion fund, or clinic defense group, or donate to support abortion funds. This link distributes your donation to 90+ funds around the country. Or donate to support independent abortion providers.
- 🎙️ Podcasts!
- Rewire’s Boom! Lawyered
- Access, a podcast about abortion
- Repro Legal Defense Fund’s No Body Criminalized
- The Population Institute‘s rePROS Fight Back
- Abortion Access Front‘s Feminist Buzzkills Podcast
- The Meteor’s The A Files: The Secret History of Abortion
- Ibis Reproductive Health and All-Options‘ Support Unseen
- ✍🏿 Sign and share:
- Anywhere: Sign this multi-org-backed petition demanding Google stop “collecting and retaining location data and aiding abortion prosecutors.”
- Anywhere: sign the Fight for the Future petition to demand better digital safety and security on Slack!
- Anywhere: Sign the RJ Response to Stop Cop City.
- Anywhere: UltraViolet’s petition calling on pharmacies to provide medication abortion access where it’s legal to do so.
- 🔎 Abortion Resources
- ⚕️ Abortion providers, rights, and support:
- Looking for a clinical abortion provider? AbortionFinder and INeedAnA are trustworthy and updated regularly.
- Here’s the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants.
- Abortions Welcome is a “pro-choice spiritual companion for use before, during, and after abortion.”
- Want to become a practical support volunteer helping folks access abortion? Read this essential FAQ from Apiary first.
- The Center for Reproductive Rights has an interactive online resource looking at “the current status of abortion rights through state court constitutional decisions.”
- Check out the This Is Normal infogame about self-managed abortion.
- 📚 Research:
- Here’s If/When/How‘s latest report on the criminalization of self-managed abortion between 2000-2020.
- New research from Pregnancy Justice looks at the data behind rising criminalization of pregnancy.
- Here’s new research from Gynuity on the safety and effectiveness of misoprostol-only medication abortion.
- Read Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer’s report, “Towards an Indigenous Reproductive Justice: Examining Attitudes on Abortion among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.”
- Here’s new research on abortion access for incarcerated folks.
- 🗣️ Communicating about abortion:
- Check out the ANSIRH On Screen program’s latest resource sheet and recommendations on abortion portrayals in film and television.
- Who Not When’s guide to reporting on later abortion is just great.
- Check out the “Pro Choice, But” campaign to better understand how to talk with folks who are, well, pro-choice … but.
- Read this guide on using trans-inclusive language from ARC-Southeast and the Transgender Law Center.
- REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide-via-Twitter-thread to keeping your protest signs fresh.
- Physicians for Reproductive Health’s wide-ranging messaging guide covers all kinds of topics in repro and abortion care.
- 🚓 Abortion and pregnancy criminalization:
- Read this solidarity + organizing brief from Interrupting Criminalization and a coalition of repro and anti-criminalization orgs.
- The Repro Legal Defense Fund and the Community Justice Exchange have an extensive, attractive, and fact-filled guide to abortion criminalization in both English and Spanish.
- 🏠 Self-managed abortion:
- If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.
- Plan C Pills has published a self-managed abortion field guide in super fun, accessible zine form.
- The Digital Defense Fund has a useful guide to keeping your abortion private and secure.
- This gorgeous slideshow from South Texans for Reproductive Justice!
- Check out the SMAZine from Urge and LiberalJane.
- ⚕️ Abortion providers, rights, and support:
Goodnight and good dunk — The Onion takes on Arizona’s 19th-century abortion ban in a slideshow that includes the sentence “Women are exclusively referred to as “varmints” throughout the law’s text.”
That’s all for this week. I’m sure I’ve missed something you’d like to see featured in this roundup, for I am but one woman with a computer and an abortion-news-induced drinking problem. Holler at me — andrea.grimes@gmail.com or grimesandrea@proton.me for more sensitive inquiries, or DM me on Instagram, and I’ll try to add follow-ups as I’m able.
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